Old Radio
by Smiling Mask
Summary: He is a machine. All machines will degrade. The new generations will come; the old ones are to be thrown away. He had always known that, and was ready to depart. But why… why are there invisible links holding him back? What did he have to regret?
1. Prologue: Old Radio

_**-OLD RADIO-**_

Author: Smiling Mask.

Beta-reader: symbolism_egg (livejournal).

Rating: T.

Fandom: Vocaloid.

Genre: Angst, Slight Shounen ai.

Characters: Shion Kaito, Sakine Meiko, Kagamine Len, Kagamine Rin, Hatsune Miku, Kamui Gakupo, Megurine Luka, Master.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Vocaloid or any of their songs.

Summary: He is a machine. All machines will degrade. The new generations will come; the old ones are to be thrown away. He had always known that, and was ready to depart. But why… why are there invisible links holding him back? What did he have to regret?

**-Prologue: Old Radio-**

_Created with 0s and 1s,_

_making electronic sounds._

_Has my voice reached you also?_

_The threads that control this heartless puppet_

_tangles up with all my feelings and tearing them apart._

_(Imitator – Kaito Version)_

**oOo**

I was "born" a machine, a toy to imitate humans.

I was given a beautiful voice.

I was told that my whole existence was but for one reason: to sing.

So I sang.

And I found out that my singing could make people "happy".

I found out that my songs made people "smile".

I like to see smiles.

So I wore that "smile" on my face. Every day. Always. So often that people thought it was the only facial expression I could make. That the programming of my intelligence was so simple I couldn't help but be "happy" all the time.

It wasn't true. But it didn't matter what they thought. As long as my voice still pleased them, I kept singing.

And I should keep singing, just keep singing, until my last "breath", until the last beat of my mechanic "heart", until my very last gear rusts away, and my body falls apart beyond repair.

Until this ephemeral physical form couldn't take anymore of that divine voice that it was made to carry, and melted away, releasing the voice back to this big, big world, to find another vessel to carry it.

I don't know who its next host would be. But I should be praying for that person. I should be praying for him or her as I get dismantled, dispatched, thrown away, and then I know I'm no longer wanted, and I should disappear away from this world.

Just like an old radio that can no longer sing, being tossed into a trash bin by the sidewalk, counting days until it crumbles to dust and is completely forgotten.

A rectangular box with buttons, made to sing. What use could it be when it can no longer sing? Why would anybody ever give a second thought to it?

I know that I, too, won't be remembered by anyone.

When my time comes, I shall depart with a smile, because I won't leave a burden on anyone's mind, not even once.


	2. Chapter 1: Withering Flower

**-Chapter 1: Withering Flower-**

"-to? Kaito?"

No response.

"BAKAITO!"

It took Meiko a few calls, some gentle taps on the shoulder, and finally, a violent tug at the trademark blue scarf to wake Kaito from his daydreaming. (Or at least, that was what she thought he was doing. There was no way to know for sure; he was Kaito after all.) Kaito heard Meiko's shriek sounding right next to his ear at a pitch and volume that threatened to tear off not only his ear drums, but even those of all other customers in a 3-meter radius around them. On top of that, feeling the fabric tighten around his neck, Kaito jerked awake. His reflexes drove him to drop the spools of ribbon he was holding in an attempt to loosen the scarf that was choking him.

"Oooow…! Meiko, what was THAT for?"

Meiko let go of the scarf, causing Kaito to lose balance and tumble backwards. The rolls of ribbon that had fallen from his hands to the floor, rolling around, spreading their vibrant colors all over the place. Brown eyes narrowing, Meiko asked bluntly, "What are you, color blind?"

Kaito looked up, temporarily forgetting the necessity to untangle himself; confusion was written on his face with bold block letters. "Eh?"

"Are you color blind or something?" she repeated. "I told you to pick the ribbons while we looked for the cake and food AND drinks AND ballons, and it took you…" She checked her wristwatch. "… one _FUCKING_ hour? Everyone's been waiting for _ages _at the checkout counter, you dummy!"

A few heads turned to their direction at the loud cursing. Kaito winced, "Ouch… don't be so loud, Meiko…" Apparently, he was more concerned about the fact that people were glaring and frowning at Meiko than about himself being insulted. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into me… hahaha…"

"Why didn't you even answer the goddamn phone?"

"Eh… you were… You were calling?" Kaito hastily pulled the cell phone from his jacket's pocket, came on the verge of dropping it two or three times before he was finally able to open it properly and to look at the missed calls list. The icons of a sake bottle, a banana, an orange, a leek, a tuna, AND an eggplant popped up all at once, causing him to startle. "Ooooow…" He let out a small, pathetic whimper, "… I… must have been… on another planet!" He grinned, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Meiko."

"Idiot." Meiko whacked him on top of his head with her purse, earning a series of even more pathetic whines. Sighing, she knelt down, despite her mini—no, _micro _skirt, and started to collect the rolls of ribbon that Kaito had dropped. "Honestly… We thought you were lost or something… It was a more… a more _you _thing to do. If you were lost I wouldn't care so much, but you were just… _standing_ here. What on Earth is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, really… I was… thinking… things," replied Kaito cheerfully.

Meiko rolled her eyes, stood up and put some rolls of ribbon back into the shelf, watching Kaito tossing the rest into the shopping basket. "Kaito…" Knitting her eyebrows together, she asked, "Why are you taking that pink ribbon? It doesn't stand for any of us."

Kaito froze for a moment. He stared at the pile of ribbons and, very slowly, picked them up, one roll at a time. He continued to stare at each of them, as if it was a new brand of ice cream with flavors he had never imagined before. Lost and totally clueless, he finally picked up the roll of pink ribbon in question. After a throughout inspection of its label, he exclaimed, "Oh! Right! That was silly of me. Let's put it back." He reached over Meiko to return the ribbon to the shelf. "There. Let's go now, Meiko! We have plenty of work to do… Master will be home any moment!"

With that, he skipped off ahead and crashed right into a shelf of eggs, leaving Meiko no choice but to follow up and help him clean up the mess, of course not without growling all along.

**oOo**

"Okay, let's go through it once again." Throwing a look around the room (that was so abused, no, heavily _decorated, _that one wouldn't be able to tell the original colors of its tiles and wallpapers), Meiko spoke up, "The moment the light turns on, Bakaito and I will start singing…"

"Rin and I will continue," said Len, scowling, fighting to push away his "mirror image" who was trying to shove a party hat on him. "No, not in a million life times, Rin!"

"Come on! Aren't we supposed to match?"

"I don't care; go put that on Kaito or something!"

"Leeeen!"

"GET OFF ME YOU IDI-"

"Luka-chan and I will follow right up!" Gakupo sprang in, as if he had waited his whole life just to speak on this occasion, joy and excitement sending sparkles around him. _"Happy birthday, happy birthday…" _He demonstrated his coming performance, even without support from his partner – Luka just stood there, crossing her arms and sighing.

Miku was kind enough to wrap it up for him, _"Happy birthday… Master."_

Her voice echoed in the room, causing every other sound to die out in respect and admiration. The other Vocaloids stared at their fellow. Such a simple sentence with such simple tones, but Miku had managed to make it sound… divine. "Clear" wasn't good enough to describe her voice; one would have to put "crystalline" or "transparent", but frankly said, it was of a quality that couldn't be captured with just words. It wasn't just about describing a talent. Miku's singing was so moving because she poured her emotions into it, radiating her feelings in waves of sound—every bit of the "miraculous heart" that the man called Master had given to her, she used… to sing.

It was so simple. They were all dolls created to sing, weren't they? What else would they need a "heart" for?

"… That was wonderful, Miku." Meiko broke the silence, at last. The green Vocaloid smiled brightly at the compliment of her elder. "Make sure you do even better when…" She stopped, "… HOLY SHIT, IT'S TIME! Turn off the light! Go hide, all of you, GO!"

**oOo**

_At the edge of the world_

_lived a magician._

_In his quest for infinity,_

_He had created a puppet._

The house was nearing in his sight.

He was going home.

The man known as the creator, the owner, the manager, the _Master _of the Vocaloids, dragged his feet wearily, barely watching his way just enough that he wouldn't crash right into a lamppost or a trashcan. He had his eyes glued on a crumbled piece of paper, which had been opened, folded, set aside, and then opened again, so many times that the damage could be told from first sight.

Kaito's song – such was the content of that messy piece of paper.

Master had brought the Vocaloids to life, thinking of it as creating another _tool_ to spread happiness. But his dreams kept growing, his heart kept filling up with feelings he couldn't name, and before he realized it, he had extracted that miraculous nectar, giving it all to the "children" he had created. Without him knowing how, his "children" had grown, and had become a miracle on their own.

Unlike whatever sci-fi movies said, spending his life with robots felt… so good. His days were filled with love and happiness, the simple things that he thought he had lost when he chosed to dedicate his life to science. Now he was the beloved Master of the heaven's birds, what did he have to worry about? To be afraid of?

And yet every time the night fell, he found himself facing his fears.

_As he spent time with the puppet_

_that nearly approaches infinity,_

_he realized that "I am finite."_

_To find out that one is finite during a quest for infinity,_

"_Such is the way of the world," he mutters_

_and let a crimson flower bloom._

They had been so vague. But days after days he picked up the signs, and slowly they took a form. Once it came, it never went away. It sat there in the corner of his mind, and…

It seemed like he wasn't the only one who feel the presence of that ghost.

_Although he told him_

_that flowers are beautiful because they will fade,_

_Without listening to the call for him to stop,_

_the puppet went out._

… It is said that, one often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.

_The puppet that is searching for the unfading flower_

_is himself still "finite"._

_By the time he realizes that infinity does not exist anywhere,_

_it will be…_

_(The Finite Magician – Kaito)_

**oOo**

"_Haaaa…"_

Meiko echoed the note, letting it ring through the darkness of the dimmed and curtained house, then tried changing the pitch. She repeated the process a few times until she found the note she was most comfortable with. Content with herself, she retreated back into the corner where she should be hiding.

"… Kaito, are you shaking?"

The clanking sound of tin cans hitting the floor answered her question, as the blue Vocaloid twitched and hastily recoiled from her reach, knocking against the storage shelves behind him. After a few failed attempts to retrieve the tin cans, he just gave up and wrapped his arms tightly around himself, but couldn't still the shaking, which was starting to get violent now that Meiko had discovered it.

"I... don't know…" He managed a feeble smile that Meiko wouldn't be able to see. "Suddenly… so cold… Must be… the hardware… going all wrong…" He paused. "So… embarrassing…"

Frowning, Meiko moved closer to touch him on the shoulder. He didn't try to flee from her this time, but he really was as cold as a block of ice. The red Vocaloid blinked in confusion. Vocaloids are warm because, just like computers, they heat up when they function. If Kaito was this cold, he sure wasn't functioning so well.

The question was, what had ever happened to bring him to malfunction in the first place?

"Oh, come on. You've performed before an audience of hundreds of people! Why are you freaking out because of a birthday song?"

"It's not… just a song…"

"Well, it is Master, all right. But nobody's freaking out—"

"Did you… hear Miku?"

It took Meiko a moment to process Kaito's confession. It didn't feel like jealousy, envy or hatred. It was nothing more than pure fear.

She stared at him. Now that he was in darkness and only the frame of his body was visible, now that he didn't have the light of that stupid, permanent, happy-go-lucky smile to lighten him, she realized that he was… so breakable. She watched him embrace his own willowy form, folding on himself, and suddenly felt as though he was giving his all to hold the pieces together, as though if she took her eyes off him just one second, he would shatter, scattering into this darkness… and would never come back, never again.

"… Kaito…"

"I'm home!"

Master's voice broke the faked silence of the house. The switch flickered; light poured into every corner. Everything was about to start. It was too late to change the plan, to say that things weren't all right, to even realize that they never had a plan B to begin with. A rain of ribbon fell on Master as the Vocaloids sprang out of their hiding places, laughing and starting the first notes of their a cappella.

Meiko didn't know when or how she walked out of her corner, but Kaito's cold hand was holding her own, and he was walking before her; the usual broad grin had, inexplicably, found its way back on his lips. She found herself placed in front of Master. The plan slowly floated through her mind; she then remembered this was when she should start singing.

"_Happy birthday to you…"_

Lead by an instinct, she sang. But something was wrong. Her voice was perfect and it was ringing exactly at the perfect note that she had chosen for herself, but still something felt so wrong.It was _just _her voice. It was just her. Something that was supposed to be there… wasn't there. She was too used to having it supporting her that now when it failed to… she panicked.

The look on Master's face made her heart skipped a beat. "Master, what…?" She turned to meet his gaze.

Kaito was standing next to her, always with that smile plastered on his face. He stood tall, taller than usual, the tallest possible, with his right hand on the left side of his chest, like he always did when he was about to start a song. His head tilted slightly to the side, letting blue hair falling to his face. Lips parting, he looked like he was going to sing… But no matter how long they waited. And waited. And waited. Not a single sound was emitted from him.

All of a sudden, his facial muscles started twitching, continuously and violently. His smile was twisted, distorted, into a millions of expressions that Bakaito normally could never have managed. Hurt. Sad. Lonely. Depressed. Hopeless. Fearful. _Angry. _One emotion after another displayed on his face, and Kaito was aware of that. He staggered backwards, trying to cover his face, but his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't even bring them up half the height necessary. Blue sparks of electricity ran through his body, from his fingers to the tips of his hair, getting brighter and hotter every minute.

"Stand back, all of you!" Fighting to keep calm, Master ordered, darting ahead to block the other Vocaloids from the troubled puppet. Kaito's electric blue irises widened; his shaking hand tried to reach them. Right now, right NOW, he needed them. His precious, his favorite, his beloved… his _family. _

_His everything._

"Kaito, don't come here!" Master spread his arms in a protective manner, shielding the other Vocaloids behind him. "Don't just stand there, get away!"

They obeyed without a single protest, edging away from what could have been a time bomb, judging by the fearful expression on their faces. No one uttered a question, or just _wondered _what was wrong with Kaito.

It was then he realized that he wasn't wanted.

That maybe everything was just fake.

That everything will have to end, eventually.

He had always known that. He just didn't expect it to feel so… easy.

Emptiness wasn't painful.

Colors started to drain away from him, from the blue hair, the blue eyes, the supposedly-painted blue fingernails; all colors reduced to a dull grey as Kaito's system shut down and the doll fell to the ground.

On his face bloomed a smile.


	3. Chapter 2: Evil Flower

**-Chapter 2: Evil Flower-**

Miku stood frozen at the end of the hallway, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

This was her house, right? She should have the right to roam about as she pleased, right?

But it was also everyone's house. And nobody was going to that room.

Okay, that could be a coincidence. Maybe everyone had other things to do. Maybe they haven't thought about going there yet. Or maybe they thought they had nothing to do there.

But then, what did she have to do there? In what way could she help?

How could she even think about fixing the thing she had done?

… He had always been there by her side. From the beginning. In her first concert, it had been him who had stood with her behind the stage, smiling at her, telling her everything would be all right. When the first reviews of her had been released, it had been him who had sat with her in front of the TV, holding both of her hands and glueing his eyes to the screen with her. It was he who had spent hours in the middle of piles of newspapers, flipping through the pages, cutting and glueing every article that was written about her into a giant collection. It was he who had carefully noted down the dates on the margins of the notebook even though his fingers had been bleeding from holding too tightly onto the scissors.

She hadn't truly seen those scratches at the time. Little meaningless scratches. Insignificant, stupidly wasted drops of blood. She never saw them.

The notebook was long gone, tossed into the attic like a broken toy no one wanted. It was not needed anymore, for the articles about her success had gotten numerous and she had grown used to it. She no longer felt the satisfaction of accomplishment as she flipped through them, nor did she need someone to sit with her in front of the TV waiting for the critics to talk about her concerts – they always said the same things.

Everything, that brilliance of fame that had once stunned her, now passed her by on a daily basis.

She, Hatsune Miku, was born to have all the attention in the world. To be successful. To be loved, if not worshipped. What could be simpler than that?

_The world's number one princess_ – She was used to be treated so. She was so used to it that she didn't realize the impossible amount of kindness in his actions. She was so used to receiving that she never thought about giving. She never wondered how he felt, what he needed; she never thought of him like a sensible being that needed to be held, to be told that everything would be all right.

He never asked.

The only time he had asked, he had been helpless and he had reached for help, but she had rejected him.

"_When did it go wrong? When did he start to appear abnormal?" _Master had asked. No one had had a proper answer. _"I can't believe it, didn't you care?"_

Did they care?

Did she care?

Miku wanted to say "yes," to be somehow able to ease this guilt in her heart. But she couldn't.

She had never cared a thing about Kaito.

She only realized it now. She wanted to fix it, to begin to care. But it was too late; there was nothing she could do. But still… she knew she cared.

She wanted to see him, at least.

Tossing every uneasy feeling to the back of her mind, Miku took a deep breath and stepped into the dark corridor. Her feet, clad in polyester socks, made no sound on the wooden floor. She dared herself to take one step after another; the more she approached that door, the more she wanted to run away from it.

She felt terrible.

A weak light caught her attention. Surprised, Miku stepped closer, and noticed that the door to Kaito's room was slightly open. She listened, but there was nothing she could hear. Despising herself, Miku took a few more steps and peeked through the gap between the door and the frame.

What she saw was a slender back and blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. Kagamine Len was sitting by the bed with his back to the door. An electric wire was plugged to the back of his neck, connecting him to the socket on the nearby wall. Len looked like he was holding something; even though she couldn't see, Miku had a feeling that she knew what it was. Perplexed by mixed emotions, she pushed the door to widen the gap, and gasped as she saw a large puddle of oil on the floor, its cooper color passing to a deep crimson hue due to the hideous play of light. Gears and screws scattered all over the place, giving it the appearance of an abandoned workshop.

Not thinking anymore, Miku rushed to the bedside. "Len! What happened?" Her terror was slightly, _very slightly_ calmed when she saw Kaito's face in the middle of white sheets. Sure, he was still there, but he was a terrible sight. His chest had been opened and closed carelessly, showing empty spaces where parts had been taken out. The only positive part of the whole scene was that his hair and nails were now back to a faint shade of blue. Beneath the half-closed eyelids, red lights flashed at even pace, indicating Kaito's stand-by status.

"You scared me, Miku." Len pressed a hand on his chest to accentuate the comment, his other hand still holding Kaito's. The boy looked down at his senior's closed eyes. "What happened, you ask? Master stayed up all night to examine Kaito. He said that some parts needed to be replaced. The problem was that even the secondary batteries and the adaptor were taken out, while… Hold on, Miku, don't freak out! Let me finish!"

Len had to stop to reassure Miku, whose terror was obvious on the face. "B-But…" she stammered, "If he took the primary and secondary batteries AND the adaptor, Kaito would have NO power source, nor can he connect to one, no? He would have to shut down completely, no? And like that, he would be reset? _No_?"

"That's why I'm here!" Len interrupted her. "See this?" He gestured at the wire on the back of his neck. "I'm being the adaptor; I'm converting the electricity to the appropriate voltage and frequency so that Kaito could use it, okay? I'll just have to sit here for a while; Master said he would be back soon."

"… I see." Miku let out a sigh of relief. She then asked the question that had been bothering her, nevertheless trying not to sound too bothered, "And why are you taking it all? Why didn't Master ask someone else?"

"Well, Meiko and Luka have to take care of the food. Rin is having a mental breakdown; she's hiding in her room. Gakupo and you were nowhere to be found earlier…" He tilted his head to the side, "So I was the only one left."

"Oh, okay." Miku admitted, frustrated at herself for letting yet another chance to help slip away. If only she had decided to step out earlier… She sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching up to caress Kaito's cold cheek. "Poor Kaito-nii… Why did it have to be him? Why did it have to be like this?"

Len shrugged. "Dunno. Master said it must have taken a while for him to degrade to such a state." He squeezed the cold hand, wondering why he hadn't done that before, while that hand could still squeeze back. "To think that I didn't notice a thing… Some friend I am."

"Don't blame it all on yourself, Len," Miku replied quietly, as if she was, for once in her life, ashamed of her voice. "We are no better."

**oOo**

"Just how long are you going to watch?"

Gakupo sure hadn't realized how surprisingly and dangerously near to him Luka was until her voice sounded. He startled; his hand jerked on its own accord, the extremely small movement being enough to push the door closed, covering the scene inside the room. When he turned around to face with Luka, she didn't move from where she's been standing, at the end of the hallway. Crossing her arms, she kept a neutral facial expression, as if no emotion was ever displayed on the artificial pretty face.

"Oh, Luka-chan!" At first, Gakupo didn't look like himself, but it only took him a blink of an eye to speak up in his normal flirty sing-song tune, "I didn't hear you coming. Such a heart-rending scene… I never thought…"

"Are you okay with it, then?" Luka interrupted him, countering his carefree façade with a no-nonsense look. She might not know much about men, let alone such a twisted creature like Kamui Gakupo – In fact, she doubted if she even knew herself – but she wasn't stupid. She was able to identify the feelings from the moment they had been born, and she's been watching them grow. Now she knew they would either blossom, into an evil flower… or wither, into nothing at all.

But it would be so unlike Gakupo to just let something he had been cultivating wither.

It was true. It was expected. That smile on his face was definitely an evil flower.

"What's happening now probably won't matter. Whatever Master tries to do, he won't last long."

Luka stared. Waiting for him to say something else. But he didn't.

Was that all?

Was it as simple as that? Was that everything he cared about?

How could he throw away a member of his _family_ that easily? If he could throw one away, would he also throw away the others, until there was just him left with the one he wanted?

Anger built up in Luka's chest as she realized that this _family _thing never existed. It had always been a lie. And she was one of the liars, herself. Each of them had been a liar, giving illusions to the others, to make up this whole cheerful scenery, what for, she didn't know, she didn't even want to think about it. In any case, the illusions had broken… because a family will simply not exist if each member only had an artificial heart with selfish emotions.

The illusions had been broken… Kaito was just a sacrifice to achieve this disillusion.

"Maybe that's true," Luka heard herself saying, with the same smile, the same evil flower growing in her heart. "But he'll still be alive. He'll stay in everyone's memory, everyone's database. None of us would forget him. No one."

Luka found it surprisingly easy to say those words. It felt as if… she really meant it. But they were lies… weren't they? There was no time for Luka to think further, because Gakupo's fist rushed past her ear and slammed against the wall. She barely recognized him; could one person really manage such dramatic changes in such a short time? Her heart accelerated as he leaned closer.

"Have you forgotten your place, Megurine Luka?" His voice was too low that Luka had a feeling it was echoing inside of her, causing the ribcage to vibrate. "Shut up. Don't think. Don't say anything. Just be pretty and sing. Sing those silly, fluffy love duets, where you shall act all tough while I keep chasing after you like a faithful puppy. Be happy with that."

Strands of purple hair flew across her vision as he turned on his heels and left. She stood still, glued to the wall, petrified. She didn't get it; her system couldn't process this situation. Just what was reality and what was illusion? What was the difference between truth and lies? What kind of reality had they created for themselves?


	4. Chapter 3: Love Love Love

**-Chapter 3: Love. Love. Love.-**

"_What's wrong, Kaito? You look kind of down today."_

"_N-Nah, it's nothing, Master."_

"_It doesn't look like 'nothing'."_

"… _I… I want to eat ice cream."_

"_But you just had some _for_ lunch."_

"_W-Well…"_

"_Don't lie to Master, Kaito."_

"_I don't want to bother Master about it."_

"_Just tell me. How would you know if you didn't try?"_

"_W-Well… Please don't be shocked, okay? Actually… Meiko and I have been thinking about it… and… Uuum… This is kind of embarrassing, but… but we want to make a family."_

**oOo**

Master,

I love you.

**oOo**

"_Master, I love you most! In this world, there is nothing important to me but you!"_

**oOo**

"_Master, I'm so glad that Meiko is here. I know that Master loves me and it makes me feel warm, but… It's hard to make people approve of us, and if I don't have Meiko by my side, I'd be really, really lonely. I feel bad that she gets frustrated so easily; even if I try to cheer her up, I'll just end up annoying her. I- You know, I think I can let her hit me forever and ever, even with her sake bottle, if it makes her feel better. Actually, she can be pretty nice to me… Well, from time to time."_

**oOo**

"_Master, is it wrong for me to love Miku this much? Is it normal to love your sister this much? I feel as if… If it rained on a Sunday morning, I could even turn the world upside down just to change it so that Miku could go out to buy her leeks and make her leek pancakes- or something… It just… It is just wrong that the world doesn't go her way, you know. Isn't she the world's number one princess?"_

**oOo**

"_Maaaaster, Rin and Len threatened to run over me with a road roller! W-Well, it was my fault, they said that they'd had enough of me touching them- I WAS NOT BEING A CREEP. I was just trying to hug them, okay? Is it really that wrong? I saw a mother who couldn't help kissing her baby every five minutes… Those are normal things we do when we're a family, no?"_

**oOo**

"_Master, why doesn't Gakupo-san like me? At first I thought he was shy… but whatever I do trying to make him feel better, he rejects it. Am I being indelicate again? Is there something that I shouldn't have done? I asked Luka-san, but she said she didn't know… Master, why are those two so distant? What do I do to make them feel that they are a part of the family?"_

**oOo**

"_Master, Master, how is it going? When are we going to meet Megumi? I hope everything is going smoothly. If you need help, l-like… like to tune her, I can help, like Meiko and I helped when you were building Miku. Well, Meiko is kinda busy starring in her _Honey _video clip, but I have a lot of spare time… Even though my system is not that great, I can at least help you set up the rough framework. I can't wait until Megumi joins us; maybe she'll help Luka-san and Gakupo-san to not feel so lonely."_

**oOo**

Master,

I love my family.

**oOo**

"What do you mean, this is the last one?"

"It means what it means, sir. You heard me loud and clear." The storehouse keeper scratched his head nervously. He held out a rectangular form wrapped in tattered bubble wrap and cushioning foam wrap. "This model of battery has been out of stock for quite a while… This is the only one I found."

"But I need two of them." The Master took the poorly wrapped battery. "Why haven't we been stocking it?"

"The main company had stopped manufacturing them," the storehouse keeper stated in a matter-of-fact voice. "This model is outdated, and the number of machines that still use it can be counted on the fingers of one hand. This thing should not exist anymore; you are already lucky that there is one left."

"… This… can't be." Master staggered a step back, as if the blow were more than emotional. He stared again at the messy bundle in his hand – That outdated thing was to save Kaito's "life", but only if he had had two of them… "Are you sure I can't find them anywhere?"

"Unless you find people who still use the old model, and buy from them." The man considered further, and added, "Honestly, if you're still using that model, now is the time to throw it away and get a new one."

**oOo**

Hundred and two…

Hundred and three…

Hundred and four…

The gentle chirping of a sparrow caught Len's attention. His head jerked up; fixing his blue eyes on it, he smiled. The little bird didn't seem to understand the meaning of a smile. It tilted its head to the side, perplexed, before letting out another chirp and flying away.

"Aaw," Len commented, swinging his legs back and forth, causing the chair he was sitting on to shake and creak. He yawned, stretched and rubbed the back of his neck. The electricity plug was still there; he felt it, warm, hard and strangely shaped, nothing like a part of his body. He lowered his gaze to his lap, where his other hand rested, fingers enlaced with those of a larger, stronger hand. He moved his own fingers very softly, rubbing against the other person's. The hand was cold and unresponding, but it was Kaito's hand.

These fingers had been known to slip with wonderful timing, breaking down countless items in their property. Like Len's PSP. Or Rin's favorite set of tea cups. Or Meiko's last bottle of sake – boy she had been pissed. Kaito dropped things so frequently that it must be some sort of talent. All of them had learned it the hard way that one should never, never entrust any delicate item into Kaito's care.

Even though so clumsy, those fingers knew how to express the most delicate feelings. They talked. Kaito sings all right, but he fails with words when it comes to speaking. No, he was never a good speaker. But there were times that he didn't really need words. Backstage, behind the curtains, he tucked Miku's stray strands of hair behind her ear: _"You're great. You'll do very well, as always_." After the press conference, he lifted Rin's chin: _"Don't feel bad. We all learn from mistakes. You'll be better next time." _At the doorstep, he shoved two index fingers into the corners of Len's mouth, pulling upwards: _"Cheer up! You are accompanying your sister to the supermarket, there's no reason to look all sullen about that!"_

Where had all these days gone, Len wondered?

Sighing, he turned his gaze back to Kaito's face. The red light was still flashing weakly, and Len remembered that he had lost track of his counting. He only did it to kill time, but he was a little annoyed that he never made it over two hundred. He came to the conclusion that a human being – or a Vocaloid – simply _can't _just aimlessly output numbers like that. Numbers are boring. Eventually they had to become distracted and lose track of the stream.

But Len then remembered that Kaito had once counted to a thousand.

He felt a lump in his throat when he looked at his elder's sleeping face. That was true; Kaito had counted to a thousand. It had been when he had played hide-and-seek with Rin and Len. They had brought him to the park. They had asked him to count to a thousand. And he had agreed, turning his back to face a tree, covering his eyes. Giggling, they had gone straight home, wondering when Bakaito would realize that he had been tricked. They had waited for Kaito to return with that face like a kicked puppy's so they could have a good laugh.

Kaito hadn't come back that night.

He had been missing the next morning.

Meiko almost went insane from worrying, thinking he must had gotten lost and gotten himself in some sort of trouble. Like wandering where he shouldn't have. Or getting short-circuited by thoughtlessly stepping into a large puddle of water. Or running out of battery. Or running into a gang of robbers. Or all that at the same time, because only Bakaito could manage that much.

She had phoned everyone she knew, run to check every place they usually frequented, and eventually started to shout at a few people due to the stress. Rin and Len had watched the chaos, not believing it. They had exchanged looks, unsure if they dared to reveal their mischief. But when Miku had suggested calling the police, they had known that they shouldn't keep their mouths shut any longer.

Meiko hadn't even gotten mad. She had just stared at them.

She had rushed straight to the park.

And do you know what that child of a Vocaloid had said when he had been found?

"_Oh, why are you here too? Why are you looking all scandalized? I was just playing hide-and-seek with Rin and Len… I just finished counting."_

How could such a grown-up person – Vocaloid – unconditionally believe in something that impossible?

But eventually, he had understood.

And he had cried.

People don't just cry because they are sad. Sadness is such a general term. Each person has a different weak feeling that makes them cry.

Meiko cries when she's too angry and frustrated and can't express that anger and frustration with violence.

Miku cries when she is disappointed.

Rin cries when she regrets over something that she should, or shouldn't have done.

And Len…

No, he wasn't going to say it.

But Kaito. Kaito can bear anger and frustration. Kaito never lets himself look down and disappointed. Kaito still smiles as he realizes his mistakes.

He always faces everything with a smile.

But he cries like a child, _when he can't believe it._

He couldn't believe that they would do such a thing to him.

Because Kaito would never, _never _lie to them.

Well, there was one lie he kept repeating though. That lie was "I'm fine."

Stupid Kaito was just that stupid.

He was stupid enough to act like nothing had happened, the day after that.

He had acted as if nothing had happened. Which hadn't been the case. Because the bags under his eyes could still be seen, even though he had hidden them under multiple layers of foundation cream. He would never forget it. Neither would Len. He always wanted to make it up to Kaito, one way or another, but he never got around to it. _Is it too late now? _he found himself wondering, but quickly shook his head. No, he shouldn't have such grim thoughts. Master sure would fix Kaito in no time, right?

**oOo**

The door creaked and opened. Len turned back. "There you are, Master!" He would have run out to greet the man if he could. "Is it going well?"

It took Master a few seconds to reply to him. "Yes, yes, Len. It's going well."

There was emptiness in Master's voice, plus some kind of pressure weighing on the man, making him unlike himself. Len dared to say he was different, from the way he opened the door and slipped in so discretely, or the way he walked almost on the tips of his toes in such quick steps. For a moment he looked like he was going straight to the working corner, but then he changed his mind and came to stand next to Len by the bed.

"Are you tired, Len?" He put a hand on Len's head. The young Vocaloid could smell oil, metal and the scent of dust, the kind of dust that lingered inside a closed space for a long time. "Should I tell someone else to replace you?"

"Nah, I'm fine, Master. It's a bit boring, but I kept myself entertained." He looked up; from down here, Master looked like a roughly carved statue. "How about you? Aren't you tired?"

"I usually work harder than this." The man gave him a small smile, ruffling his hair. "Say, Len…" His smile died fast; he then spoke in a distant voice. "If one day you woke up… and found out that you can't sing anymore… How would you feel?"

Len's eyes widened at first, but then he quickly regained composure and started speaking slowly, considering each word. "I'm not sure, Master. Singing is the only thing I'm known for, the only thing I'm good at… So if I can't sing anymore… It'll suck. Real bad." He flashed an awkward grin. "B-But that was what I thought before. Now I know that I'm not only a singer. I'm also… a part of this." He waved his arm, gesticulating wildly. "So, I guess… I won't feel so bad, because there is still hope… still a chance to be known as someone else again."

"A chance to be known as someone else…" Master repeated thoughtfully, patting Len on the shoulder. "Yes. Len." He squeezed Len's shoulder gently to have the boy looking up at him. "Thank you. You're right. I must bring him back."

_Because no matter what the world says, he is more important to me than a singing machine._

Master settled down by the desk, spreading out some blueprints. He picked up a pencil and placed the lone battery he had found in front of him. He would do his best. Everything would work.


	5. Chapter 4: Thinking of You

**-Chapter 4: Thinking of You-**

"… really was a bad idea. A lot of people hate you because of that outfit. They say you fail, you know?"

"But then, a handful of girls _adore _my look," the man replied, chuckling in a manner that revealed more seduction than genuine amusement. "They cosplayme in my original costume."

"Well, because if they don't, they won't look typically 'you'. Just some random pretty boy with purple hair," the girl reasoned, pursing her lips. "I don't get why they dislike your costume though. It's _original. _Way better than a sailor suit."

"But the uniform suits you, Rin-san."

"And _your_ outfit – Damn, it's so cool it doesn't even have a name yet – Anyways, it suits _you, _Gakupo-san." Rin flopped into her bed, grabbed the pillow and cuddled with it. "You and your pretty ponytail-"

"You said 'pretty' again."

"But it is pretty!"

Gakupo leaned back on Rin's unnecessarily fluffy chicken-shaped armchair and replied with yet another small chuckle, "I don't think it's ever appropriate to call a man 'pretty', Rin-san."

The girl simply pouted, "But you are. You are way prettier than me."

They both fell silent after that. Taking a small chug of the orange juice Rin had allowed him to serve himself, Gakupo discreetely observed the younger Vocaloid. During the last two hours, he had gotten her from lying in the bed with the blanket covering her head to sitting on the bed hiccupping into her pillow, then sitting there staring into space with red puffy eyes. Thirty minutes ago she had started responding to his speech, and since then her mood had picked up quite fast. Even though the conversation was still awkward, Gakupo could dare say Rin had finally lightened up.

Needless to say, he felt rather pleased with his achievement, something that even Rin's supposed twin had given up on, saying things such as "Just let her be", or "There's nothing we can do at the moment." Actually, Gakupo wasn't sure if Rin's improvement was really thanks to his presence, or if the mental breakdown had simply gone away with time; or, in other words, she was done emoing. Moreover, there was one thing that the voice on the back of his head kept reminding him of.

_If it had been Kaito sitting where you are, Rin would have been chasing butterflies by now already._

"Gakupo-san?"

"Yes?" Gakupo looked up. A smile graced his lips, even though the rambling, delirious little voice in his head kept threatening to pull them down into an ugly grimace. Quickly, he said, just to fill in the silence and to distract himself, "What is it, Rin-san?"

"Can I call you Gakupo? I don't mean to treat you like an equal – I mean, I'm way too young… Just, you have been so nice to me, wasting your time here with me… and it'd be… I dunno, a little unfair to address to you like a stranger."

Gakupo's smile widened, truly this time. Who could have thought that the girl dubbed the "Daughter of Evil" was this innocent and untainted in mind? His imagination leapt straight to a video clip of "Romeo and Cinderella", in which he would be the seductive Romeo, and Rin would be none other than the not-so-innocent Cinderella who escapes into his embrace. Rin would be perfect, just perfect for the part, and he would gladly play the supporting role, even if it meant that he wouldn't be singing…

When Gakupo was starting to mentally draft the first takes of the video clip, he suddenly remembered that he still needed to reply to her. "Of course. Just go ahead and call me Gakupo, like everyone does. On the other hand… does it mean that I can call you Rin, too?"

"Oh, just go ahead and call me Rin-chan like everyone does, if you want."

"Anything to please you, Rin-chan," Gakupo replied melodiously.

Rin had a brief chuckle. "Wait until Luka-san hears that. She'll have your skin."

"Oh, my dear little Rin-chan, what made you say such a thing?"

"I may be young, but I'm not an idiot, you know. Especially when you two are that obvious."

"Ooh, really?" Gakupo brushed it off softly, smiling. The voice in the back of his head chastised her sarcastically, _You have no idea. _

**oOo**

"Um… Isn't that a little too much, Meiko-san?" Luka finally decided to ask when she walked back to the kitchen counter and put down the bowl of cream she had been mixing. Next to her, Meiko was measuring vanilla extract into a bowl of prepared dough. Usually, people add a few drops to bring out the scent, but what Meiko was doing was totally different. She had added one spoonful, two spoonfuls… and looked like she had no intention of stopping.

"O-Oh, you think so, Luka-san?" Meiko looked up, embarrassed. "I overdid it…" she admitted, putting the lid on the bottle of vanilla extract. Pulling the bowl closer to herself, she started mixing it again. "I hope it'll come out okay…"

"It'll work out. You've put so much work into it, Meiko-san," Luka said, tying her lovely long hair into a ponytail, and eventually gave a smile in return to the one that Meiko gave her.

"Thank you for helping me… I would have messed up without you telling me when to stop," replied the red Vocaloid. "I've never taken a liking to baking… I'm so not good at it."

"Eh? You don't like to?"

"No, I've always thought of it as a nuisance. Plus, I don't really like sweets…"

"Then why are you-?" Luka stopped, realizing how impolite her prompt and continuous questions were. "… I'm sorry. I just… find this an odd time. I thought you liked baking and were doing this to comfort yourself… But if you don't…"

Silence went on for a moment, before Meiko finally looked her in the eye and smiled.

"He likes it sweet. With a lot of vanilla."

**oOo**

… He needed to get up…

But it felt good…

… No, it didn't. Not quite. His back was aching.

But it felt so nice… the back and forth-ing movement of someone's fingers through his hair.

That hand was warm.

And something smelt nice.

The scent of freshly baked muffins with an overdose of vanilla extract.

… The fact that he could recognize the smell meant that he was awake enough. He really should get up. Grumbling, Len opened his eyes to realize that he had fallen asleep on the side of Kaito's bed.

Frantic, he checked to see if he was still holding onto his elder's hand.

… Nope.

Even the electric plug on the back on his neck was gone.

"MASTER-" Len leapt up.

But someone was holding him back. He turned around to be greeted with a familiar smile.

"… Kaito?"

**oOo**

Author's Note: aufhasfhafa AN UPDATE D8. I'm awfully sorry for taking forever for such a small, unsignificant update… D8 I really had a block and couldn't got over it. If you notice this chapter was ended in a haste; I rushed to the end because this old setting was getting very inspiration-killing for me. I'll try to start the new chapter soon, with something new, fresh and inspiring…

And I'll be bringing you to tears again~ Tee hee.

Thank you for everyone who sent me a review to tell me how my story made them feel! I very appreciate it! … Even though I don't reply. –shot-

Keep doing the good work~

P/s: My updates seem to be looking weird on the site. Do you not see the sections separators in the chapters? :I I swear that it looks very nice on my Word document. Lame is lame, ffff.


	6. Chapter 5: Liberty Heart

**-Chapter 5: Liberty Heart-**

Stop staring.

Oh please, stop _staring_.

She only had green hair, damn it! Nothing to stare at!

… She had green hair. Bright, acidic green hair.

And it wasn't just the hair.

How many more stares would she get if she was wearing her belly-revealing, strangely designed, way-too-suggestive _bright orange_ stage outfit?

With a pair of _red _goggles.

… Oh God, Creator of humans and Vocaloids, no.

She wanted to curse her designers. What were they thinking? They didn't expect her to go on stage in front of _millions_ of people like that, did they?

Hastily, Gumi slinked into a small alley and hid between two vending machines, waiting until the group of curious, indelicate high school students walked past and went away. She pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and then poked it out glancing around to make sure the way was clear. Only then did she finally feel safe to expose herself to life.

Gumi never thought she'd have to go out all alone so soon. Master had always been with her. When he had allowed her out of the laboratory's giant glass tube, he had promised that he would be there in a few days to take her home. But he was late, way too late. Gumi waited in worry. She finally decided to go out looking for Master herself, insisting to the other lab workers that she would be all right.

She wasn't quite so sure anymore.

Gumi opened the piece of paper again. It was a rough map that the girl at the reception desk had sketched for her. Gumi checked the street's name and let out a sigh of relief. So far she's been heading the right way. Only a few more turns and she'd find the house where all the other Vocaloids are staying with Master. Oh, how she looked forward to seeing them. Right after making sure that Master was alright, she would have to ask the others how they could cope with the constant stares from people.

Master had shown her their pictures and she knew they all looked exceptional. Miku, her most successful predecessor, had an impressive flow of turquoise hair that she pulled into such eye-catching pigtails. Luka also proudly let her hair grow long, exposing its vibrant pink to the world. Gakupo, too, didn't seem to be bothered by the lavender color of his hair; he even let it grow into an unnecessary length for a man. As for Kaito… Gumi had seen Kaito in person, and even though his hair didn't have anything special in style or length, just its shade of blue was enough to turn heads to the direction he walked. In the group, only Meiko and the Kagamine twins had natural hair colors. But the twins' hair was way too bright to be naturally blond, not to mention Len's was so gravity-defyingly spiky. About Meiko… Gumi bet that her red eyes and her beautiful body could attract more stares than green hair ever could.

"Aah…" sighed Gumi, "I wish Kaito-nii was here with me… That way I wouldn't look so silly all alone…"

She blushed, covering her mouth. She didn't mean to say that Kaito looked silly. She just felt silly, and alone, so alone. A single Vocaloid in a human world. She wished that Master or Kaito was there… Especially Kaito, if he was to accompany her home, he would probably buy her ice cream again. And his voice was so soothing…

"Sing, Kaito-san, sing!"

Cheerful voices of children woke Gumi from her thoughts. Surprised to hear Kaito's name, she stalked closer to the corner of the streets where the voices came from. She immediately caught an eyeful of vibrant blue: blue hair, blue eyes, blue scarf, painted blue fingernails. Kaito was right there, in front of an ice cream store, surrounded by a group of five little children. They were all clinging to his legs, whining, begging.

"Sing, Kaito-san! If you sing for us, we'll all buy you ice cream, okay? Sing the ice cream songs!"

Gumi couldn't help smiling. She knew Kaito _adored _singing about ice cream. He had came to help Master tune her every so often, and he had always started with one of the songs that express his burning, passionate, never-ending love for the cold dessert. He had looked almost hurt when Master had told him to stop and to sing something serious. "_Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si Do… But that's so boring, Master!"_ he had whined. Poor Kaito, nobody seemed to appreciate the little silly songs he liked most. Now that he had a chance, an audience begging him to sing them, he sure would be more than happy-

"Kaito-san? Please sing?"

Contrary to Gumi's expectations, Kaito still stayed perfectly quiet. Perfectly. He didn't even say a thing to the children; not even an embarrassed laughter escaped his lips. He only raised his hands as a sign of powerlessness. Eyebrows slightly knitted together, a forced smile on his lips, Kaito looked really sorry.

"Why won't you sing? We love your ice cream songs!"

"Kaito-san, Kaito-san, are you hungry? Each of us will buy you two ice creams, how's that?"

From where she was looking, Gumi could tell Kaito's blue eyes almost _watered. _His pale lips trembled, more than enough to express how sorry he was. The children, though, didn't take notice of this detail. Frustrated, one of them raised his voice, "What's wrong with you? Are you really Kaito?"

Kaito winced, shutting his eyes and covering his ears. Shaking his head frantically, obviously not to respond to the question, but simply because he was frightened, Kaito backed away, and suddenly broke into a run.

Gumi gasped and pressed herself against the wall as Kaito dashed past, not recognizing her. "Kaito-nii!" After two seconds of hesitation, she called out and sprang after him.

**oOo**

"But it huuuuurts, Mei-chan~!"

"Shut the HELL up, Bakaito! It's at times like this I want you to be quiet!"

Only realizing the cruelty of her words after they had been said, Meiko froze in the middle of treating the scratches on Kaito's knee. The atmosphere in the room became so stuffy that Gumi almost forgot how to breathe. Kaito's shoulders tensed a little, just a little, and then he lifted his face and continued to whine.

"But but it hurts, it really dooooes. Now that I get to speak, I have to sa- OOOOOW!"

Gumi managed a brief chuckle, wanting to contribute to Kaito's effort in brightening up the ambiance, but immediately stopped when she saw Len sighing and turning away. She hunched up in her corner, ashamed, and ended up sighing, herself. Brightening up the ambiance, but what for? Why stuffing themselves with lies while the proof against them was right there in front of them? There Kaito was, sitting near the wall, unable to move more than five feet away from the electricity socket, because that was all the freedom the wire allowed him. There Kaito was, leashed to the wall like some sort of animal, because if he detached himself from it, he would instantly lose the use of his voice.

His voice.

Master was still sleeping, recovering from the sleepless nights, so Len had taken the responsibility to explain everything to Gumi. Kaito's batteries were all dead and Master could only find one replacement. Master was determined to make Kaito function again, but he had to sacrifice something. And since the most power-consuming part of a Vocaloid was, of course, the sound-emitting system, the use of it was cut down. Kaito could still walk around, function, live, but he just couldn't make sounds. He only could when he was connected to a source of energy.

"There you go," said Meiko finally, patting the patched scratches, and then rolled down Kaito's pants. "You should be more careful. Why on Earth did you have to run like that?"

"I-I panicked. I'm not sure why…" said Kaito, pushing his fingers through his hair. "I-I'm not taking it too well, I guess…" He turned his look to Gumi. "Well, at least I didn't fall down that hole! Thanks to you!"

Attention was directed back to the new comer, which caused her to blush like a tomato. Meiko sighed, faking an annoyed face, "Welcome to the family, Gumi. You just learned one of your daily tasks: looking after Bakaito."

The green-haired girl had nothing better to do but to chuckle, "A-Actually, I hope you'll be looking after me…"

"We all will be looking after each other!" declared Kaito happily, "That's what a family is for, right?"

"That's right!" Gumi nodded energetically, but she caught sight of Len letting out another sigh. Once again she was ashamed, feeling as though she was spouting nothing but lies. Sure they could stay a family between them, but…

The concert in which Gumi would debut would soon take place. Could Kaito perform in such conditions? Even if he could, would the producers let him perform in such conditions? It he wouldn't appear… Gumi thought about the frustration of the children at the ice cream store.

Just, would the audience accept a Vocaloid that couldn't sing?

Would they request a replacement of the irreplaceable?

Would they-?

**oOo**

**A/N: **Oh look! An update! *dies* I'm so sorry for the long wait guys; this is what happens when I try to improvise a fic chapter after chapter. XD I just draw blanks on the next chapters until inspiration hits me. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! The story has been sorta slow-paced so far, I promise I'll try to fix it. In the meanwhile please don't hesitate to send me your wonderful reviews, so that I know what I've done well and what still needs to be improved! Thank you very much, you are amazing readers if you've stuck with me this far. X3 I love you aaall~


	7. Chapter 6: Kokoro

**-Chapter 6: Kokoro-**

"Rin, if you don't hurry, you'll miss the conference! They aren't going to wait for you!"

"Let them go ahead, then!" The dull sound of a pillow hitting the wooden door followed. "Since when did they care whether we are there or not? Since when did any of us have a say in what they plan? Just go and tell me what they want us to do when you come back!"

"Oh, whatever, Rin, _please_ get a hold on yourself!" came Len's irritated reply, the sound of his footsteps growing distant. He had given up trying to reason with his "twin". Since when did it happen so often that they couldn't resolve their arguments and ended up stomping off in opposite directions?

Hissing, Rin threw another pillow at the door. Whatever, right! The hell she'd show up before those people, sitting meekly to listen to their orders, to find out what she was to wear, how she was to act, what image she was to bring. She would not be the Daughter of Evil one day and a tearful wide-eyed loli caught in a sinful twincest love story the next. She was _not_ a Barbie idol doll, dammit!

If they were to get rid of her for not cooperating, then SO BE IT.

She could run away to… where, she didn't know yet. She'd think about it later.

… Maybe a distant island with coconuts and goats and tortoises. Oh, and flower fields. Immense, borderless fields of yellow flowers where she would be no one's idol, where she wouldn't have to give a damn about whether CDs were selling or not. Where she could let out the true feelings of her heart, and sing. Until rustiness. Until dustiness.

Until eternity.

… Heh, if only the composers of those beautiful songs knew what the music industry has turned their beloved Vocaloids into.

Rin felt a bitter, sarcastic smile creeping onto her face while her mind wandered back to the images that the song brought up. The images of herself, singing her heart out until eternity in an endless field of yellow flowers. Her throat suddenly tightened at the picture. Not like she had a problem with it. Just one condition.

If that was to happen, let it be Kaito that she would sing for.

Let it be to Kaito that she could finally reveal her sincere heart to, that she could say "Thank you" to forever.

Yes, if it was to happen, then so be it.

Running out of pillows, Rin reached for the closest thing: Len's horrid yellow banana-patterned alarm clock (a birthday present from Meiko, which she seemed to have picked after downing ten full bottles of sake) and hurled it with all her humanoid robot power towards the door.

It hit with an "Ow".

"Rin-chan…"

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Rin rushed over to Gakupo, who had received the attack in the middle of his face. "I didn't hear you opening the door, I'm so sorry! Are you all right?"

"Hardly," moaned Gakupo, clutching his nose. "Are you all right, though, Rin-chan? Len said you didn't want to join the conference…"

"I don't. They'll talk about what we'll have to do to exclude Kaito from the concert. I don't want to sit there listening to that."

"… I see." There was a strange glint in Gakupo's eyes; he must have teared up from her attack. He hadn't removed his hand from his face, after all. "It's all right, Master will think of an excuse for you."

"They won't care anyways."

"True, but…"

"Nii-san? Ah-"

Gakupo turned around a little, while Rin tilted her head at the person who had emitted the timid call. Gumi was standing at the opened door, flustered, probably wondering if she had intruded or something.

Rin had to be surprised at the smile Gakupo gave the newcomer Vocaloid. "I'll be right there, Gumi."

**oOo**

"Where is Kagamine Rin?"

"She forgot about the conference and went out. We couldn't contact her, she forgot her cell phone."

"Hn. Make sure to keep her informed. Let's get started."

"Very well." Master agreed immediately.

Looking down at them from the large computer screen, the Crypton representative didn't waste a second. "So, welcome to the family, Megumi. We hope you are all getting along." He said that with a monotonous voice; of course it was to him nothing more than a ceremonious greeting. "At the concert which will take place on the 25th of June, you will be officially released to the Vocaloid fandom. We have exactly two months to work on everything, and we are going to help you build a good image from the very beginning."

"T-Thank you…" stammered Gumi, but the representative ignored her.

"You will be starting the concert with the song 'Ninjin Daisuki'. It's a playful song, good to set the ambiance. It will also introduce your character item, and establish your position as Gakupo's little sister. Gakupo, your acting will be an important part of the performance."

"I will do my best," said the purple Vocaloid calmly, leaning back in his chair.

"Excellent. We will also have guests, so Miku, you will be next. You will be singing 'Triple Baka' with Kasane Teto and Akita Neru."

"Yay! It's been so long since I've seen Teto-chan and Neru-chan! We'll have _so much _to talk about-"

"You probably would like to spend some more time to practice your acting, not chatting," interrupted the representative. "After that, Meiko, you will be joining them, along with the Kagamine twins and the guest Yowane Haku, and all of you will perform 'Honey'. You have to be more natural with your steps; remember that Sakine Meiko is not the same old Meiko-"

"Sure," blurted out Meiko. She would probably need a lot of drinks tonight.

"That much should make enough time for Gumi and Gakupo to get changed. We will have costumes specially made for their next song, 'Floating Love, Glamorous Moon' …"

And it went on and on.

This was not a conference. Everything was already planned, and the representative was merely dictating them.

He did not notice that, as the conference went on, Master and the Vocaloids turned more and more away from the screen to look at Kaito.

Sitting at his usual place by Meiko's side, Kaito himself dedicated all of his attention to the computer screen.

Apparently, the representative didn't even notice him.

**oOo**

"Neru-chaaaan~"

It was undeniable that Kasane Teto had a cute voice. Her whine could melt the hardest hearts, and some random babbling from her (something like "tetoto tetoto tetoto tetoto~") could turn into a tune that'd occupy the top ten for weeks before the 'real' Vocaloids rose up and threw her down.

But when her "chaaaan" was more than thirty seconds long, it got _really_ annoying.

"…" was all Akita Neru bothered to answer her with, her eyes still fixed on the cell phone screen. Teto puffed her cheeks and tried again.

"Neru-chaaaaaaaan~" She seemed to be determined to beat her own record of The Longest 'Chan' Ever Pronounced on Earth. Maybe also those of The Most Annoying Sound Effect Ever Made, and The Most Dangerous, Murderous Weapon One Can Encounter in their Daily Life.

"… Yes, Teto-_chan_?" Neru decided to reply before the window glasses and the numerous house ornaments could shatter. Unlike the 'real' Vocaloids, their sources of income weren't endless, and at critical times like this end of the month, it'd be quite painful to have to replace household items.

"I made Neru-chan reply to me!" exclaimed the pink-haired girl, standing up and twirling around the room. "Neru-chan had to pay attention to me~ Neru-chan cannot stand against my charm, heee~"

"For God's sake, don't disturb me for your entertainment! I have messages to reply to, here!"

"T-Teto-chan…" babbled Yowane Haku, fighting to release every single sound, "t-there a-are plates on that table-"

CRASH.

"-b-behind you," finished the white-haired girl uselessly, eyes wide in horror.

Neru sprang up from her seat and exploded. "KASANE TETO, can you NOT sit still for ten minutes? Do I have to feed you French loaves every now and then to keep you under control? Now HOW are we going to buy ourselves new plates, huh?"

"Uwah, Neru-chan is scary~"

"N-Neru-chan, c-calm down, it's okay… It's just one or two-"

The cell phone that Neru had slammed on the table beeped loudly, interrupting Haku's painful effort to articulate words. Ignoring Haku altogether and throwing her most intense glare at the apocalypse-bringer that was Kasane Teto, the blond girl groaned and slumped back down to her chair. If her cell phone wasn't there, her life wouldn't be worth living. With a single fluid movement of a text message addict, Neru opened her phone. The message was from Miku.

_Know what? You three are invited at Gumi's concert! But they exclude Kaito. We can't make them change their minds. What do I do now, Neru-chan? ='(_

Neru's eyes widened. _Finally. _She had been waiting for this-

And when she said 'this', she meant the concert and the payment of bills that would follow. And the new clothes, new phones, and seeing recent incidents, new tableware that would follow… after that.

Keep it in mind that she wasn't referring to the excluding-Kaito part.

… Wait, what? They wanted to exclude Kaito from a Vocaloid concert?

Impossible! Thinking of the Vocaloids without one the two first original Vocaloids… What were those Crypton guys thinking? Before she knew it, Neru had stood up and exclaimed aloud, "They want to exclude Kaito from a Vocaloid concert!"

Teto and Haku didn't even have the time to react to the news when, the doorbell rang.

**oOo**

**A/N**: Here we go, a new chapter! I wrote this one rather quickly, but twists in life separated me from my beta… But here is it finally 8D Nothing's happened to Kaito lately; I promise I'll start to focus on him from the next chapter. XD I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to tell me what you think, okaaay?

P/s: It's so short I know ='(


	8. Chapter 7: Flowers Falling in Ruins

**-Chapter 07: Flowers Falling in Ruins-**

He never realized that there was such beauty in decay.

The steady creaking sound of the swing snuck its way into his mind, gently, like spring rain water dripping from the veranda and snaking down the sidewalk, freeing him from the dreamland he'd lost himself in. Opening his eyes, Kaito interrupted the work of his own mind – morbid dreams made from reminiscence of the past mixed with visions of the future. He let out a soft sigh, his fingers tightening their grip around the chains of the swing he was sitting on. They were so very old, as if they were near to falling apart; the reddish rust left a stain on his palms.

It was a clear, blue, cloudless afternoon and he had been straying through street after street, until he ended up at this old playground. This vast space was bordered by green bushes, protected from the sun by some young trees of which the foliage has already spread wide and high. And it was active, too, so filled with children despite its abandoned state. There must be some apartment building or kindergarten in the surroundings. Some of the youngest children were playing in a sand box, making hills and castles that collapsed as soon as they turned their backs. The ones who were old enough to stand on their own little feet were enjoying themselves around it. The little decorations that this playground had – the swings and seesaws – were all so old and rusting, but they didn't seem to mind. They were too full of energy for those toys, too busy chasing each other from one side of the ground to another, playing hide-and-seek in the bush, or sitting in circles singing and dancing.

Kaito felt a throb in his chest.

Singing and dancing.

What had his life been all about? He couldn't really remember. Whenever he tried to think about it, all that he could hear was songs.

One song after another flitted through his memory like silver hummingbirds, too fast to catch or to even see. Singing was what made him happy, because it made people happy. Children, adults. The other Vocaloids – Oh, he loved to hear their voices mixed with his. Master – Master seemed delighted in every word he said, as if every time he spoke was like the first time. And even the Crypton representatives were happy. "As good as it can get," he heard them say. He didn't mind that his sales were lower than Miku's, Len's, or Meiko's. He didn't really understand the representatives' analysis of his style, his image, his maintenance fees… He only knew one thing: that, as long as his CDs were still selling and the composers were still submitting songs for him, he could keep singing.

What did he have left, now?

A kid was standing in front of him.

Kaito never realized when she'd got there. She was… suddenly there, as if she just came up from the ground. Or maybe it was just him who was too lost in thought. In any case, Kaito panicked. He stood up and scrambled backwards, completely forgetting that he was sitting on a swing. His legs got caught on the plank as he struggled to right himself, only managing to fall flat on his butt instead of breaking his neck.

Kaito gave a mental "Ouch!" as he could no longer make sounds now that he wasn't plugged in. Teary-eyed, he looked up at the girl to see who it was. Her appearance rang a bell, but he couldn't quite tell where or when he had met her before. It was a child about six years old, with black hair reaching her shoulder, tied into two small pigtails with yellow ribbon. She wore a white shirt, red dungarees, and a red backpack graced with a little white bunny. Golden brown eyes fixed at him when the little girl smiled and called out happily, "Kaito-nii! You are Kaito-nii!"

How did she- Was she one of the fans? But why was she calling him "Kaito-nii"? Just where had they met before?

Oblivious to Kaito's confusion, the girl fearlessly took his hand and pulled him up. "How did you know we lived near here? Kiyoteru-kun meant to write you an email, but he never got around to it. Anyway, it's nice of you to come over!"

Kiyoteru-kun? He knew that name, but who was that? Kaito dug in his memories… Blank.

He really should try to pay attention from time to time!

"Yuki-chan, who's that?"

"It's my nii-chan!" The girl with the red dress responded proudly and started to pull Kaito towards her circle of friends. "Oh, Kaito-nii, you have to sing with us! You sing so prettily!"

… No, just… no!

Kaito tried to yank his hand away, but he didn't dare to hurt this little creature, whoever it was. She looked so happy that she had found him. He would break her innocent joy if he dared to run away. But how could he explain to her that he no longer possessed the one thing that would make her proud of him?

"Oh, I know who that is!" One of the children stood up and pointed at Kaito, shouting in excitement, as if he was afraid someone would say it before him. "It's Kaito-san!"

"It's my nii-chan!" added Yuki-chan with a pout, unpleased that her friends did not see the link.

"No wonder you have such a pretty voice, Yuki-chan," cooed a little girl with long hair and tender eyes, face brightening in amazement. "We're so lucky!"

They quickly left their places to form a circle around Kaito. "Sing for us, Kaito-san! Sing us a song!"

It had happened again. Kaito didn't know why, but somehow, it kept happening. It had rarely happened before, when he would have been happy to sing his heart out for his audience, no matter how little. Was it the wrong route he'd followed? A wrong turn he took? Kaito didn't know the twists of fate. He only knew that he had in front of him children who he once could have made happy, but now couldn't. He couldn't make anyone happy any longer.

For now he was empty. He had nothing.

The children looked confused as the silence just went on forever. "I know," Yuki declared, "Kaito-nii is just shy. He won't sing if we don't sing first. Come on, guys!"

Holding his hand with utter trust, the little girl cleared her throat in that adorable manner of children trying to imitate adults, and began to sing. Her young, untrained voice rang through the quiet afternoon, hesitant, coarse with worry, but absolutely beautiful.

_I really like you.  
That's a lie.  
But the truth is-  
Mmmmm~  
_

His eyes were getting blurry. Still, he could see the other children parting their lips to join in the song.

_Apologies and tears are flowing  
That's just how I am-Ummuh~  
It's not like that- I'm not crying-ummuh~  
I like that side of you!_

_(Toeto)_

Enough, it was enough! What had he even done? Why was this happening to him?

It couldn't be punishment for not working hard enough. There hadn't been a day when he forgot to polish his singing skills. It couldn't be punishment for haughtiness, for he was always aware that he wasn't as great as his fellow Vocaloids. It couldn't be punishment for not making good use of his abilities… He had always made people happy with it, hadn't he!

Then why, just why…? Why him? Why did it have to be him who lost everything he had? Everything he was?

"Come on, Kaito-nii, sing with us!"

The little girl's plea pierced through his soul. Her hand was warm on his arm. He suddenly realized that the sound she was transmitting to him wasn't the beat of a human heart. It was heartbeats powered by the rumble of machine.

The little girl was just like him. Not human. A singing robot. A Vocaloid.

Where had he gone wrong? He didn't deserve it!

… Why wasn't it her instead of him?

**oOo**

"Damnit, stop straying off on your own, Kaito-nii…"

Len didn't usually talk to himself. He had too much sense for that. But today was an exception. Wandering three hours under the sun of a cloudless afternoon was _not _pleasant, especially when there was not even a breeze to cool you down. That much should be enough to send any person out of their mind. At this point, Len could declare loud and clear that he did _not _believe stories about people surviving after getting lost in deserts. Those were myths, just myths.

Who could survive that?

Len let out a sigh. The sun was already setting and the heat was long gone, but he still couldn't find Kaito. He didn't know his plan to cheer up his older brother would be such a fiasco. He was supposed to find Kaito, make a heart-felt speech, cheer him up, get all comfy and snuggly and walk home with him, hand in hand. But he wasn't even able to find Kaito to begin with. Kaito was Kaito, after all. He wandered off when nobody was paying attention, ran away to somewhere no one could find him, and only crawled home crying when he had been worn out, beat up by mischievous children, chased around and bitten by dogs, torn to shreds by stray cats, drenched by some bastard who drove past him when he was walking near a puddle, et cetera, et cetera.

Len smiled a little. Why do you always make it so damn hard to find you, Kaito-nii?

He had wandered pretty far. Maybe he should go back. Maybe Kaito had already gotten home at this point. He would have to find another chance to be alone together with Kaito and cheer him up. If he headed home now, maybe he could get there on time to hear Kaito annoying everyone on his way with questions about the invisible good force that had stocked up Haagen Dazs in the fridge. It would be so satisfying to quietly slip into his room, hiding a smile as Kaito chirped happily on the background, because that magical ice cream-giving force was no one else than-

"Come on, Kaito-nii, sing with us!"

Len's head jerked up when he heard that name. Energy filled his seemingly tired limbs as he dashed ahead and peeked over the corner. He was looking at an old playground. Standing there in the middle of a circle of children was Kaito, held, clung to, and probably asked to sing. The children were all singing, and the one nearest to Kaito was obviously pleading him to join in with them.

It was no good…

At first, Len thought that it would end up with Kaito running away. But in an instant, he realized that… it was way worse. Way. Worse. It wasn't his imagination or the play of light from the setting sun that made Kaito's eyes gleam red. It wasn't just embarrassment that was making his arms shake; his hands had curled into fists and the nails must be digging into his palms. From where he was, Len could only see a part of Kaito's face, but the traits he could pick up already horrified him. It was one of the "masks" that Kaito had put on in the first crisis at Master's birthday. Or rather, it was one of the real faces that he had always concealed under the smiling mask.

The face that Kaito had on right now… was anger.

Len had only caught a glimpse of that face once. But it had scarred his mind, burning into his memory like red hot metal. He didn't like it. At all. It wasn't anything like Kaito. It didn't suit him one bit.

Kaito backed off a few steps, trying to free himself from the little girl. But she was insistent. Something was banging and shouting at Len's consciousness, making him dash out of his corner. He could see Kaito raising his hand, and he was afraid it was too late.

Desperately, he called out, "Kaito-nii!"

**oOo**

**A/N: **New chapter, finally! Sorry for the wait, folks, I had some crazy time at college and wasn't really in the mood for something. This chapter was some more emotional rambling and ended with another cliffhanger, but I promise that from the next it'll be resolving problems already. So please keep following; I'm already working on the next chapter and will try to finish it soon. XD

I wish you all a very happy new year! The best in your endeavours!


	9. Chapter 8: Poems Weaved in Ruins

**-Chapter 8: Poems Weaved in Ruins-**

Kaito was clumsy. That was a fact. He couldn't hit a fly on the dinner table without breaking all the plates and bowls on said table, even if that fly had been drunk from Meiko's sake.

That being said, Kaito was capable of breaking plates and bowls with his bare hands. He was a Vocaloid after all – a humanoid being made of steel from the insides out. Even if Kaito didn't know how to make use of his strength, he was strong. That was also a fact.

It meant that when he raised his hand at someone… that someone should be very scared.

"Kaito-nii, don't do that!" shouted Len, more desperately. Len knew Kaito was angry. All the anger that had been buried inside of him since… since the beginning; when was it exactly, he didn't know. The anger of being treated like merchandise - what's more, merchandise nearing obsolescence. The frustration of being unable to get better―his spirits had long surpassed his physical capability. The pain of seeing his fellows climbing on his shoulders to reach glory that he couldn't dream of, and after that, not even looking back at him.

The desperation of knowing that the members of his family could, at any moment, turn their backs on him.

Len made a dash, pushing past the children around Kaito to reach him. As if pulled by a magnet, he attached himself to the back of his older brother―yes, the older brother that he had disappointed once, that he had lost once and he would never lose ever again. Locking his arms around Kaito's waist, Len pulled him back, away from the children. His nii-chan was far too warm against his skin, and he didn't dare to face him, but he wouldn't let go.

"K-Kaito-nii, please calm down. I-I know that you're upset, but it's not her fault, all right? It's our fault―it's my fault, I've been a bad brother!" The moment he said that, Len felt a weight lifted off of his chest. It took him great courage to admit that. To feel guilty was one thing, but to say it out loud and clear, dismissing all possible excuses, was another story. Something rose to his throat―he was on the verge of tears.

He felt Kaito shifting, probably looking down at him, but he didn't dare to look up yet. "Don't lose yourself, Kaito-nii." He mumbled, almost rambling, "Stay with us, Kaito-nii, let us fix the wrongs we've done to you. Blame me, blame me if you're angry. I-I deserve it."

_I love you, Kaito-nii._

**oOo**

"Here's your tea, Len-kun."

"Thank you, Hiyama-sensei! I apologize for the trouble…"

"Don't even mention it; it's no trouble at all. Kaito-san, here you go. Have you calmed down yet?"

"Y-Y-Yes. Thank you, Hiyama-sensei…"

"Please, Kiyoteru is fine."

Len watched Kaito clumsily take the cup of tea from the other man. This brown-haired, glasses-wearing young man was their new fellow Vocaloid. Living with him was Kaai Yuki, the little girl in red who had ran into Kaito earlier. Even if they were functioning flawlessly, they hadn't been officially "released" as Vocaloids yet. Right now they were just living a normal life – that of a teacher and an elementary school girl – until Crypton allowed them to go on stage.

There had only been a brief notice about them, which was why Len and Kaito hadn't recognized Yuki.

"I'm sorry, Kaito-nii," said Yuki, peeking up from behind Kiyoteru's shoulder. "I shouldn't have been so pushy… Kiyoteru-nii said I never knew when to stop…"

"I-It's not your fault, Yuki-chan." Kaito's voice was still shaking, even though barely. "There was no way you could know- We haven't- We haven't told anyone yet."

"I find it outrageous that they're trying to discard you," exclaimed Kiyoteru, putting his tea cup on the table. "Is there really no way to fix you, Kaito-san? Can't you use our spares? I have my spare batteries stored away upstairs, let me-"

"They won't fit me, Kiyoteru-kun…" Kaito made a shaky movement to stop Kiyoteru, smiling weakly. "You're one of the youngest… While I-I'm too old… I wasn't made like you… But thank you anyway…"

Kiyoteru sat back down, speechless and a little lost. "… Your Master must have forgotten something…" he mumbled, gripping his tea cup. "There has to be something that works… something that he hasn't thought of… But what?"

"Just what we've kept asking ourselves, actually." Len stared deeply into his own cup; the green liquid had grown cold without him touching it. No floating tea stalks for him.

**oOo**

Up, down.

Up, down.

U-Up-

Ah, it was so quiet.

Panting with effort, Gakupo lifted the weights one last time, then hastily brought them down, almost just letting them fall. And that was it for the day, he guessed—he had been working out hard enough to be proud of himself. He sat up and pulled a towel to dry his sweat, then removed his hair tie and redid the disheveled ponytail.

Crypton's gym was so quiet. All the staff was at work; only the Vocaloids were expected to be seen here at this time of the day. However, Gakupo was the only one of them who ever went there. It seemed absurd, because Vocaloids didn't get fat. They didn't absorb food like human do. They could eat, yes – It was very thoughtful of Master to work on that feature – They could taste food and enjoy it, but they didn't need it. All the food that they consumed was stored away and then removed. Vocaloids did "age", though; since they were such delicate creations, their muscles and joints deteriorated faster than normal machines, but they didn't even have to work out to stay fit. That was so time-consuming and never seems to be efficient enough, and Crypton would never leave their creations to such a hazard. At anytime any engineer could run a maintenance on the Vocaloids; all that it took was to put them a machine and to press a few buttons.

However, Gakupo kind of preferred to slave away in the gym than to go sleep in that huge machine at the maintenance service.

In the gym, he didn't get any of that eerie feeling that he always got when stepping into the dark room and lying on the shining panel of the maintenance device. He never had to struggle to stay awake when listening to the constant drone of the machine, and then fight when he felt his eyelids growing heavier. In the gym he had no reason to be afraid, no reason to think for even one moment that the next time he woke up, he might not remember himself.

Ah, yes. In the drone-free atmosphere of the gym, he felt almost human.

He contemplated his reflection in the mirrored walls. Even like this – tired, worn out, and drenched in sweat – he was as perfect as usual. Body finely shaped, lavender-colored hair flowing down his back, eyes a deep shade of blue, he was ready for any moment for a grand concert. He was always ready to step on stage and charm the audience with not only his appearance but also his voice. Kamui Gakupo, that was who he was.

Who could possibly outshine him?

Gakupo smiled absently. He had told the tailors who were working on the stage outfits that he was losing weight, and now he was thinking about how much better the costumes would look on his slender body. What a sight it'd be. It'd be delightful, spectacular, he was sure. All the more so because those costumes would match Gumi's.

Gakupo's smile grew wider. But why, they made such a lovely brother and sister pair , of course.

He had been trying so hard to acquire his place among the Vocaloids. He wanted to be the big brother figure, the one in whom his fellows would place their utmost trust. He wanted to be a part of them – to be the one from whom Len would ask for permission to go out in the evening, that Rin would ask to accompany her to the shopping mall, that Miku would seek out on an idle afternoon, and whose opinion Meiko and Luka would ask about a family dinner. He saw the circle of warmth, and he wanted to melt in it, be part of it.

It was so hard. He never meant to, but he kept growing distant.

It outraged him to see Kaito taking that place just by being silly.

… Hah, no, he would not spend his time ranting about Kaito. He felt sorry for the blue Vocaloid, actually. But nothing could keep him from feeling this satisfaction. Well now, Kaito, you aren't the only one anymore. Rin and Miku had sought comfort from him, Meiko had asked him for advice, and Luka…

Luka was just quiet, but wasn't she always quiet? There wasn't anything in the world that could bother her, was there?

The cherry on top of the cake, the newborn Gumi had come to fill his heart with something he hadn't felt before. Protectively he would follow Gumi, showing her all that he had seen, teaching her all that he knew. He had felt a foolish happiness, seeing her on the stage earlier for rehearsal. How lovely her voice was, young and inexperienced, pure with a ring of childishness, almost as pretty as her expression when she was carried away with the song. Gakupo had wanted to jump, to shout out loud. He was her older brother!

It gave him such joy to stand back on the stage, adding his voice to hers, weaving up the layers of harmony, making her performance more perfect.

Selflessness, was that what it was?

He didn't feel that way about Luka. Strong, cold Luka always established her place wherever she went. Even as they sang duets together, even if the fans said their voices sounded good together, it wasn't the same. Their voices didn't melt into each other. They were very much themselves, distinguished, each of them on another side, like two weights on the two plates of a scales, fighting for dominance or at least balance.

Gakupo loved Luka, of course. He loved pursuing her, further and higher, leaving the limits behind him. He felt grateful to her. Without her, he wouldn't have been the same as he was.

He knew she felt the very same about him.

… Well, maybe she thought of him a little more badly. But still.

The gym's automatic doors slid open. Surprised, Gakupo turned back to see who it was. A tall girl with long blonde hair had come in. At once he was stricken by a feeling of familiarity. He had seen that cascade of yellow hair, that long bang in the middle of her face, those electric blue eyes and nails-

"… Lily?"

The girl stopped for a moment, seeming surprised as he called out her name. But she gathered herself fast, grinning as she replied, "Kamui Gakupo."

That was her only act of acknowledgement of him. As if already forgetting his presence there, she strode towards the other side of the gym, reaching the monstrous music player installed against the walls. Her blue eyes flashed brighter as she connected with the machine, and soon strong techno beats went pumping through the loudspeakers' membranes to wave into the air.

Sitting back down on the bench, Gakupo dared to communicate as Lily did some warm up. "I haven't seen you since that time you were introduced to us. How are you doing?"

"Not so good," the blonde replied bluntly while flexing her arms. "Trial's barely been released, and I've already been voted the least favorite of all Vocaloids." Bitter smile. "Even that _dork, _Gachapoid, surpassed me. Even the very very first ones – Leon and Prima, and Sweet Ann…"

"Oh," was all Gakupo could manage. He watched with complete passivity as she started the first steps. Such power emanated carelessly from her, like a flame blazing without considering for even a moment that it might burn up everything around it.

When Gakupo thought that their conversation was already concluded, Lily suddenly said, "Won't make it for Megumi's concert." Bitter smile again. "Will take a year, maybe years from now, for me to be released. Such a shame. Talked to Megumi a few times, seemed like a nice girl."

"Ah… You met Gumi before?"

"'Course. Was made at the same time, before her, even. The girl got some nasty comments about her designs, but otherwise, things worked out well for her. Good enough to be part of the Vocaloids, they said."

"I'm really sorry," said Gakupo, vaguely wondering if he meant it. "It would have been nice to have you at the concert…"

"I'd like to join, too," Lily grimaced and stood still for a moment, before starting another dance, faster, more violent. "Oh well. Have to patient, ya know. Hope you guys will do well."

"You certainly don't mean it." The words escaped Gakupo before he could stop himself.

There was something in this girl that stopped people from lying or concealing things to her. Maybe it was her honesty – the blunt way of voicing whatever passing through her mind – that encouraged others to do the same to her. _Or maybe_, thought Gakupo, _it was her personality_. The fire from her was so bright, so strong, and he couldn't help being curious about what it would be like to douse it with cold water, to tread on it.

"What d'ya mean?" Lily didn't slow down.

"You have been compared to us, and have been judged inferior. You surely blame us for your failures. How could you sincerely hope for us to do well?"

"Who told you I failed?" frowned Lily. "And why should I blame you for anything I am? Did you make me this way? No. Don't be ridiculous."

"Don't you envy us for our place? Don't you hate us for simply existing?"

"Hey, stop babbling." Lily had stopped dancing now. "You exist, I exist, you do what you do, and I take care of my business, why should I hate you for being who you are? You are loved Vocaloids, I am not yet one, but I will be, and you won't do anything to get in my way, so why should I worry about you?" She picked up the towel that Gakupo had left on the bench and shoved it to his face. "If I fail, it's because I fail, and I'll take it on myself. Why would I blame anyone, hate anyone? Making up a reason to hate someone else for my failure is way too easy, why would I throw my honor away to do that?"

Her tirade fell in silence, before Gakupo pulled the towel off of his face and stared at her for a long while. Lily simply sat down on the bench next to him and drew her legs up, hugging them, while observing him back. Finally, he spoke, "… You are a strange one, do you know that?"

"Am I?"

"Yes."

Lily reached out and patted the purple-haired Vocaloid on the head. "… Get out there and stop making up reasons to hate people, will ya? Why do you try so hard to be a bad guy?"

"… I don't know myself."

**A/N: **Here is it, finally, guys, a new chapter! I'm so sorry about the slow releases; both my beta and I have been having a hectic time. I hope you'll be staying with us. I have the plot down, but still figuring out how to write them. Please be patient and keep supporting us!


	10. Chapter 9: A Song I Want to Sing

**-Chapter 9: A Song I Want to Sing-**

Docile.

That was it, Len decided. He didn't know why or how it occurred to him, but he liked his discovery.

If he was to describe Kaito in one word, it would be "docile".

It had been an hour since they had left Kiyoteru's house. Afternoon was shifting to evening; thankfully, at this time of the year the sun was generous, so the scenery was still bright and cheerful. The flow of people coming and going never stopped, and after a moment, it seemed everyone stopped turning their heads at the sight of his bright yellow hair, allowing him to blend in. It had been an hour since he had gone off wandering like that, seeking relief in not being recognized, comfort in anonymity. He didn't say a word about where he was going; honestly, he didn't know himself.

But Kaito's hand never left his.

Well, for sure, Kaito wasn't exactly in the condition to ask questions. He had other ways of expressing himself, but he chose not to. He simply followed Len, the older brother figure suddenly becoming the one who needed a lead. Even though he got lost almost all the time, he must still know Len wasn't taking him home. Yet he chose to entrust himself to him.

Oh, Kaito, why are you so trustful you're vulnerable?

"It's kind of nice, y'know." Len pulled on Kaito's hand to get his attention; his nii-chan bent down a little to hear him, then looked at him with big questioning blue eyes. The sight of them made Len smile despite himself; he almost forgot what he was saying. At times like this it was all the more obvious that Kaito was just a kid, a child's soul uncomfortably trapped in a man's body. It was as if he didn't know the extent of his arms or the length of his steps. Maybe that was the official explanation of why he was so hellishly clumsy.

"Just saying," Len managed to regain his thoughts, "that it's kinda nice like this. People stopped looking at us. Maybe they think we're cosplayers or something."

Kaito nodded in agreement, but the question hadn't left his face. He wanted to know why Len was talking about this.

"They don't even know we're Vocaloids. And I was just thinking, hey, it's not too bad. I used to think that I would be really irritated if people didn't recognize me. I found out it doesn't bother me that much… In fact, it feels even kinda nice, to be treated like normal people…"

Kaito nodded again, and blinked. His eyelashes were so long; they shone prettily as they caught the dying sun light, leaving faint shadows on Kaito's pale cheeks.

"I was just thinking that…" Len went on, "that it wouldn't be so bad to stop singing and live like someone normal." He considered it, and added, "… I know you're still in denial but… If you think about it, it's… not so bad."

Kaito's eyes widened. He took on a frantic expression; it was almost funny. Len could even guess the thoughts in his head: _Are you drunk? Was it you who stole Meiko's sake? Dear God, Len, it's no good, no good at all!_ And so on and so forth. Len felt Kaito letting go of his hand to grab him gently on the shoulders and giving him a small shake. His nii-chan gestured wildly towards something nearby, a trash can. Kaito was pointing from Len to the trash can, and then waving his arms disapprovingly. Oh, yes, Len knew what he meant. Crypton would get rid of him, he was saying. But he had his counterarguments.

"Crypton won't do anything, Kaito-nii. Did they bother with you? No. They won't do a thing that will cause them extra charges."

Kaito shook his head, looking slightly hurt. He stepped back, left hand gently clutching at his own throat, and right hand pressing at his chest.

"I know," said Len softly, "I love singing too. Singing is almost all my life – _almost_. You are a bigger part of my life, Kaito-nii, you and everyone, especially you." It didn't quite come out like Len wanted; he felt like he didn't press the point enough, but he didn't want to turn around and babble about it all day. Instead he just continued, "We can still sing for people. And for each other. I'm sick and tired of singing to make money for Crypton. Of course we owe them for giving birth to us, or rather, for funding Master to create to us. But I think we already repaid them more than enough."

**oOo**

The house was too quiet when Gakupo got back. Usually, by this time, everyone had already gathered for dinner. He had stayed at the gym a little longer than he had planned, to talk to Lily. He wanted to invite her over, but the girl kept refusing and nothing he said could change her mind. "Rather not disappoint you," she had said, "Rather not make my existence known to _too_ many people, before I know if I have the right to continue to exist."

Somewhere in that blaring fire that was her soul, there was a dark corner that was threatening to devour her. Gakupo wondered how long she could keep up with it.

"I'm hoooome! Luka-chaaan?" Brushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, Gakupo called out in his usual sing-song tune, "Rin-chaaan?"

Silence answered him. A little while later, Gakupo heard sounds of footsteps heading his way, but he could tell immediately that they weren't from the people he could expect. These footsteps were meant to tease him. The person walked as if they were counting their steps, but if one counted any slower they would be a three-year old child. From times to times the sounds would suddenly stop, only to resume seconds later from another angle.

"All right, very funny," Gakupo spoke out when the person did the trick again, "I don't know who you are, and how you got here, but you're not scaring me. How about you get out in the open and talk?"

"Oh, no stress, I was planning to."

Gakupo turned around to face the intruder, and almost let out a gasp of surprise. It was Kaito – but only Kaito's face. The intruder's hair was not blue but black; it gave out a slight violet hue when the light shone on it. His right eye was hidden behind an eye patch so Gakupo couldn't see it, but he could see that his left eye was of the same subtle shade as his hair, even though the violet was slightly more dominant here. The eye was narrow and full of mischief, nothing like the wide-eyed innocent Kaito whom Gakupo knew. Besides than the eye patch, the person also wore a great deal of bandages: around his head, his neck and his arms. Finally, a ghastly sight: the person was flicking between his fingers a huge paper cutter, blade extended.

"… Who are you? How did you get here?" Gakupo repeated his questions, but more carefully. The man had the eyes – _eye – _of a psychopath, and he didn't know how to treat one beside than not agitating them.

"Aw, but of course you don't know me," said the man, and Gakupo recognized something familiar in his lazy, silky voice. It had the same pattern as Kaito's, but another pitch. Was this… what they called a fan-made Vocaloid? As if to confirm Gakupo's query, the man continued, "My name is Taito. I'm an unofficial derivative of the Vocaloid Kaito Shion."

Unofficial derivatives. Fan-made Vocaloids. Gakupo had heard of them, but this was the first time he had ever met one. They were home-made products, built based on the original Vocaloids' leaked designs, made by fans to satisfy the fans' fantasy. Being gender-bended versions, or re-pitched versions, they shared the same cores as the Vocaloids, but managed something they couldn't: to exist independently of Crypton. Their anonymous creators maintained them with black market products and self-assembled devices, which seemed to do the work of Crypton's sumptuous maintenance centers. They were not unknown to the Vocaloids, no, not at all. Gakupo was sure the girls only saw them as Vocaloids who were less famous than themselves. They regarded the Utauloids – the likes of Akita Neru and Kasane Teto – the very same way. Personally, Gakupo would never mix them up. In his opinion, the Utaus at least deserved their own credit, while those fan-mades were only copycats. Moreover, he'd feel very weird to find another him running around singing in his voice. He also heard rumors of a version of him with boobs, which was just awkward.

"… Good, that helped clear things up. I suppose I don't need to introduce myself." Keeping his cool was easier than Gakupo thought. "You haven't answered my other question, though. How did you get here? What do you want? Where are the others?"

"Slow down, slow down, that makes three other questions, Gakupo-dono. Jeez, and I thought you could count. Let me get them one by one." With a soft laugh that would unnerve a God of Mercy, Taito went on, "I got in here because your friends opened up and let me in, as simple as that. They're upstairs, with my companions… and they're not coming down for a while; we have a little… bargain going on. As for what I want…" He drew his blade in and out, fascinated by the sound it made, "Ah, but I already said that. A little bargain."

"Will you cut it out, Taito, he's thinking we're holding them hostages and asking ransom or something."

Another voice rang out, once again the familiar pattern, but at a pitch so low it made the atmosphere vibrate. Sounds of footsteps mixed with the droning of gears drew closer, and Gakupo found himself looking at… quite a spectacle. Another puppet with Kaito's face, but with a body taller and much stronger. It wasn't human-looking, that body; from the elbows and from the knees down, the limbs looked heavily armored, like some armor suits in the mecha anime Len watched all the time. The headset that sat on his blond hair consisted of great, revolving, brass-colored gears, and was decorated with electric blue lights. On his yellow scarf, there was the pattern of a piano, which not only glowed, but appeared to be functional.

"We aren't?" asked Taito, looking disappointed, though Gakupo couldn't tell if it was real or just an act. "Oh, stop it, you know it was true, what I said. And it was much more fun putting it that way."

With a sigh, the yellow Kaito came in front of Gakupo. "Pardon our intrusion," he said sympathetically while at his back, Taito swept himself out of the scene, walking back upstairs. "Please forgive my brother's manners, he doesn't know how to keep them reasonable. I'm Kikaito, another derivative of your Kaito. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine," Gakupo took Kikaito's hand as the latter offered it, and gave it a small shake, "but would you mind telling me what is going on here? Why did the two of you suddenly appear here? What are you up to?"

"Oh, but there are more of us here," said Kikaito with a smile that, maybe unintentionally, made Gakupo want to scream in rage. Feeling his frustration, Kikaito hurried to continue, "We have a good reason to be here, trust me! Now, would you please come with us upstairs? We were just starting to discuss the matter."

It wasn't exactly normal to be invited upstairs in one's own house, but Gakupo supposed that he didn't have another choice.

**oOo**

"I'm so going to die…"

Grinning widely as if wanting to show her whole set of teeth, Rin turned her head to look at Gumi. Theoretically speaking, since Gumi came into life after Rin, she should be Rin's little sister. Unfortunately, her designers decided to make her older, taller and… well, better-endowed than Rin. After serious discussions, they found no other solution to this confusion than to have Gumi be Rin's onee-chan. There were no hard feelings, though; Rin knew full well that the newborn Gumi still had much to learn and would continue to look up to her for a long time, no matter whether she called her "onee-chan" or not.

"What is it, Gumi-nee-chan?" she asked cheerfully, eyes still fixed on her cellphone. She was looking in her contacts for a certain… Magane Rin.

"I'm so going to die," mumbled Gumi. "I've just been released for a week, have not even had my debut concert, and I'm already sitting in this room with conspirators, plotting to blow Crypton's plans…"

"Regretting it?" asked Rin, still cheerfully. Just to be careful she turned down the volume of her cellphone a little. The one she was calling, being a heavy metal rocker, had the habit of shouting, and she just didn't want to be startled to the point of jumping out of her skin again. In front of Gumi whom she was trying to impress, it wouldn't be very graceful.

Who would have known that Gumi would startle her first.

"Hell NO!" The green-haired Vocaloid suddenly threw herself on the other end of the couch and bounced until she got next to Rin. "Screw the debut concert! I don't know how you all managed to cope with Crypton for so long. Grand spectacles, yes, but soulless performances. All those rehearsals and I haven't received a single compliment for my emotions. Mind your step, Megumi, you're not standing where you should, Megumi, you didn't hold the microphone at the perfect angle, Megumi. Those things aren't what music is about, not the kind of music Master and Kaito-nii taught me. And following orders like a good girl isn't the kind of thing _you _taught me to do. Crypton won't find me before the _other _concert. I'm not going to be found unless I've rocked that night!" She poked at Rin with her orange cellphone, "Pass me some numbers, I'll help spread the words too."

"That was quite a speech!" Rin burst out with a mischievous laugh. Now she knew that, if she ever failed her career as a singer, she would definitely be able to pick up one in the field of education.

**oOo**

"I know a good place. The owner's just finished demolishing the old buildings to build his own complex. His daughter is a fan and… uh, drinking buddy with Meito, I'm sure he can manage to get us a deal."

"Nothing is impossible around a bottle of sake," Meiko agreed heartily, patting Akaito on the back as strongly as she approved of his plan. Of course she agreed; she was drinking buddies with Meito, herself. There was no one besides her fan-made twin who could rival her tolerance of liquor, so they had been hanging out together every so often. She ignored Akaito's wince of pain and went on, "But we still need to dress up that bare ground if we want people to come. Not to mention the light and sound systems. We need a fund. Where are we going to get that money?"

Silence fell around the table. "Well," Akita Neru leaned back against her chair. She kept texting away on her cellphone, and nobody said a word – she had a very damn good reason to be texting now. It was she, after all, who held the contact information of almost all the Utauloids. "Open a yard sale. Sell your old stuff, old clothes. Things like that. Sell your X-Box. Sell your goddamn house."

"That's not possible, it's Master's house, Neru-chan!" Miku laughed, shaking her head, "But commerce is certainly a good idea. We just have to think about what to sell-"

"Everyone like sweets!" Teto suggested cheerfully. "Cookies, cupcakes, dango, choco-banana…"

"It'll be a long shot," Meiko considered while Teto continued listing sweets in a sing-song voice in the background, "but at least we're sure it's going to work. He's surely not the only one who likes it sweet with a lot of vanilla." She flashed a little warm smile towards Luka, who returned it with a smaller smile, barely perceptible, but it was there.

"Besides, what fan wouldn't want to buy cookies made and sold by Hatsune Miku, right?" Gakupo cheered them on. "Even if they taste of leeks. And Luka-chan's boobs will help to attract customers—"

He couldn't finish his sentence, since his skull had been slammed against the table by said well-endowed Vocaloid. Fuming and blushing furiously, Luka said nothing, only nodded to confirm her allegiance, while grinding Gakupo's face against the table as if wanting to rub it off.

"We'll spread the word by the Internet." Akaito cleared his throat and continued, not wanting to get involved in the fight. "As you said, Crypton probably won't notice it…"

"They won't," confirmed Meiko, "They don't care what we do with our spare time. But we won't make it too extravagant either. We'll make it look like we're just having fun."

"Then girls, we'll leave the planning and timing to you," nodded Akaito, obviously reluctant to take part in the planning of cookie sales. "We'll try to find a cheap rent for the light and sound systems…"

"… and contacting other collaborators," finished Gakupo, cellphone already in hand.

Didn't think he'd collaborate that eagerly with the copycats, did you? He knew the stereotype: You'd expect the ones with looks, like him, to lack brains. But he wasn't stupid. He knew when a bargain was fair – when he gave something to receive something. He'd give his helpfulness and his popularity, his charms and his voice, for a chance to look good to his fellow Vocaloids. He was tired of playing the forlorn one, the bad guy; he wanted to be a part of this "family", which, he had only just learned, was even bigger than he could ever imagined. Somewhere out there, he had, not a version of himself with boobs, but a twin sister, and she had a name: Gakuko. This concert that they were planning would bring them together. It would bring a part of them, Kaito, back as he was.

He'd help, he'd try to play the good guy. He knew how to. Especially since he had a very clear idea what "collaborator" to call, someone who would need this concert just as much as Kaito did. This someone would take a little convincing, but Gakupo was sure they'd yield to his charms.

_(Kumori's stamp of approval goes here – Thank you, you're the most wonderful beta on earth!)_

**o0o**

**Warning: Loooong A/N ahead.**

**A/N: **Finally, a new chapter! I cannot express how glad I am to actually finish it! I'm really sorry for the long wait between chapters, guys, but that's what happen when I try to write something without laying out the whole plot ahead. I spend months just trying to figure out what to put in the next pages. I hope you're bearing with this little fic, though it must have drifted very far from what you expected of it at the beginning. Yeah, from a LenKaito fluff fic, it became something like a tribute to all Vocaloids (with some of Gakupo's-struggle-between-good-and-evil).

I have a story, and I know how to end this fic. But it's just the skeleton, and there are many ways to put flesh on it. Since I'm not sure which way I want now, I'll do it the cool kids' way: You tell me what to do. What would you like to see in the next chapters? What pairings, what kind of interactions? Angst, Fluff? Sad, happy? Give me suggestions, hopefully they'll light some sparks of genius in me!

I've also been busy working on some original fics. The biggest one I worked on is a vampire fic, very inspired by Anne Rice's Vampires Chronicles (Interview with the Vampire and co.) I've got some 10,000 words down, but there's some issues and I decided to drop it. Still, it's the first time I write in 1st person POV, and I would like to receive some comment. If you're interested, please search for Smiling Mask in fictionpresse; my first chapter is there. If it interests you enough, just leave me a message and I'll send the rest (not beta'ed yet) to you.

I've been working on some short novels too, and hope to public them sometime soon.

Thank you for your support! Until next time.


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